thomas campbell doi project

Words and pictures by Ivan Feerman

I was fortunate to attend the opening of Thomas Campbell’s new art exhibition, Doi at Fullerton College. I already knew he was a multifaceted artist; from filming surf movies on 16mm film to painting, producing music, photography, sewing, and publishing. Based on the works exhibited at the show, he also appears to be quite adept at iron and clay sculpture and pottery.

Campbell is a master at communicating using whimsical symbolism. I saw sculpted rabbits and birds, and his iconic forest trees painted not only on canvas, but on pottery, too. The color palette and expressionism found on his graphics were all there. Since his artwork tends to give insight to our natural surroundings, we begin to have a deeper appreciation of nature and our seas as well as casual human behavior.

This body of work came about from an invitation only artist-in-residence opportunity that he completed there. This special program encourages the artist to interact with and give insight to the students and their work.

If you are into post-American pop art and/or urban street art, give yourself some time and take a road trip to Fullerton College to check out this very cool exhibit. Also in attendance at the opening were artists Craig R. Stecyk III, Jeremy Wray, and his filmmaker wife, Tiffany Campbell. The show runs from now until the 25th of March.